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Friday, June 19, 2015

Top 5 fridays: Best Character/Character Reimaginings from the New 52

A few weeks ago, I saw this in the comments of DC's Facebook Page.
This is a comment I can assume practically EVERYBODY sees by this point. I replied to it, but of course this led to many more people jamming it down my throat that "New 52 stinks!" The New 52 is what got me back into comics. This was a chance to grab new readers, as well as clean up some of the mess(Don't deny it, the DCU was becoming a mess) and it did succeed! There were fantastic things that came from this new DCU, and I don't think they get the love they deserve. This week and next on Top 5 Fridays, I'm going over things spawned from this new universe that are actually good! This week we'll be honoring the new characters and character reimaginings that turned out pretty well! Enough talk, LETS BEGIN!5: Highfather
I get that Highfather is supposed to be the opposite of Darkseid, but when I think New Genesis and Apokolips had gone to war, I can't ever imagine the old version of the character was ever a warrior. He was more like the grandfather of a mighty warrior, and not a warrior himself. Even Odin at least wore his freaking armor to show himself as the mighty warrior!That being said, The New 52's recreation of the character changed that perception of mine.
This character means business, and you can actually see him posing a serious threat to both sides of heroes and villains. He is wise like his Pre-New 52 version, but isn't afraid to rule out warfare. THIS is what I wanted to see! The Warrior who fought Darkseid! I'm not saying I don't want him to stay like this forever, but to better understand what the character has gone through to become the old wise man. In the finale of the recent Lantern Crossover, we see him wanting to turn over a new leaf, and become The Shepard he is destined to become, bringing this story full circle.

4: Wonder Woman's Demigod SiblingsI know this one is kind of cheating, but look back at all of the demigods that Wonder Woman has met and teamed up with in the Azzarello run. These demigods you see have more humanity than most demigods you read about, and that's what I like about them!
You feel bad for Siracca being killed off just because she was first in the new generation of Zeus' Bastards, but even more so for Milan, who might have the most useful power, but the most painful. Hell, even though shes the villain, I felt bad for what Cassandra had to go through with the First Born.
However the one I feel the most connected to had to be Lennox. Since his first appearance in the Wonder Woman comic, he was the guide, protector, and big brother to this group of misfits. He claims he wanted to work alone, but in the end gave his life for his family, truly embracing the family man he has become.

3: GravesMan it has been a while Old Man. You were used only once and I find that a shame.
Graves is one of my favorite villains in the New 52 and for good reason. He is the ultimate personification of the downside of having the Justice League.
We have a happy family man who idolized the League after they saved him...after a sickness tore his life apart, he realized that not only would the League fail to save him, but they are to blame. Hence his journey into becoming a villain who breaks the League by showing them those they've lost in their rise of heroics... The Kents, The Waynes, even Victor Stone; Graves learned what they lost and with his spirits, broke the league...and he could have gotten away with actually KILLING them if not for Steve "The Friend Zone" Trevor.

2: Reverse Flash

I'm gonna say this...I don't call Eobard Thawne the Reverse Flash. He's a great villain, but other than his costume and morals, there is nothing reverse about him. He's a Scientist (like Barry), who grew up in a rather broken home(like Barry), and he decided to pursue his dream to learn more to achieve his goals (LIKE BARRY!). Eobard is nuts, but I wouldn't call him the REVERSE of Barry Allen...However, this is where Daniel West comes in.
Both their stories start similar; their mothers died when they were children. While Barry's father was an innocent framed for a crime, Daniel's was a abusive(which is a crime!) father. While Barry worked hard to become a Criminal Scientist, Daniel always searched for the easy way out. While Barry gained his powers from a freak lab accident, Daniel got his from a reckless driving accident. I think its pretty obvious who is the more reverse here!Honorable Mention: Cyborg Superman

This is a character that in my personal opinion NEEDED reimagining. Hank Henshaw is a classic character, but we've all heard the story of scientist turned AI before. Yes, Zor-El is a scientist, but that's not why this makes the Honorable Mention...its because of the fact he is another ALIVE kryptonian from house El. Where Hank wanted revenge on heroes, Zor El seeks perfection as a harbinger of Brainiac. He is considered the weaker brother, yet he survived .In Superman's family, anyone from the past generation has either been killed off, or brainwashed. This is the first MAJOR member of the family to be put against Superman(not including time traveling).
This leaves just one question: What will the Super Family do when they all learn the identity of him?

1: Cyborg/Shazam

Before the New 52, I could have gone up to any new reader and asked, "Who is Cyborg and Shazam," most responses would be either "Who," or "BOO-YAH!" Though comic readers might be familiar with these characters, the New 52 remade them to become more open to a newer audience...AND IT WORKED! Shazam finally is getting a full length movie, and Cyborg is getting that AND his own comic series! These two have both become leads in their own story arcs, and played major roles int the DCU as a whole. Shazam has protected his city and defeated Black Adam. Cyborg saved the Justice Leagues and defeated the Grid. If I asked who these heroes are now, people might actually say, "Oh that's my favorite member of the Justice League," rather than one of the big names. In the end, thanks to the New 52, these two got the spotlight they both deserved.

That's it for this weeks Top 5! Do you agree with my list? Are you one of the many who HATE the new 52, think it was fine, or love it? Leave a comment and i'll see you next week

2 comments:

I agree with both of you. Personally, the New 52 got me into comics, though it was mainly because of the renumbering thing. I always loved comics, but after going to college and starting a (huge) family, I had no time and when I decided to dive in, it was too intimidating. That and the fact that I am obsessive and if a book is at issue #200, I have to seek out the other 199 issues. Because of that, I stayed away until I heard of the New 52 and jumped in head first. I loved reading and talking to Eric about comics at work that we decided to start the site and now the podcast. So, the New 52 was great for me...but bad for humanity :)

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